The shadow cast by this gang is rather long and deep. Regardless of where you go; where your roots extend; where you hang your hat; where you do your commerce; you are still being impacted by these folks with their carriages and their elaborate uniforms; their Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) and their pageantry. This is our history and it lives with us to this day.
Their past actions still dominate Africa, Europe and the Middle East and further east. Our entire hemisphere is dominated by their progeny. And the progeny of their allies and their enemies. Our history is written in words of praise and shame for their kings and queens; their ministers and warriors. Our leaders; our very founding fathers are of their blood lines and their values; their fundamentals and their beliefs. But that is changing and for a brief few hours we were all reminded of their impact and their influence and also of their decline and the uncertainty we live at this very moment.
We know their music. It is ours. Their anthems. They are ours. Literature. Ours. Their strength; ours and their weaknesses, their human frailties; their emotions; their smiles; their hopes and dreams; they are all ours.
The youth; the playfulness; the anticipation; the fear; the concern for the future. Ours.
We love it. At least those of us who look like them; who think like them; who pray like them; who live, love, fight and die like them. They are us. Longing? Nostalgia? Perhaps just tribal connection? It’s there; no point denying it.
Some other thoughts. If you have a brother you know the gift of having a brother. One brother trying to keep his demeanor as he should while the younger seizes the moment with a face that speaks joy and wonderment and the opportunity to see if he can mark the ceremony innocently with his uncontainable playfulness.
The sister, every bit as captivating as her slightly older sibling, cannot help but draw attention to her own beauty and liveliness while deferring to the bride and tending to her duties.
What a celebration. For a few brief hours we lived the past; tried to grasp it but know it is not possible. We still got a quick glimpse of how it was and never again will be.
We often think of where we are headed. We cannot seem to look back to know the future as much as we are told to do so. In a matter of the few brief hours that this celebration occupies, this small planet or ours has traveled through space at speeds and covering distances we humans cannot attain; on a mission we humans cannot understand; headed to a destination we cannot describe; for purposes we are unable to explain.
We simply do not know. But we move on. And we have learned well from our friends with the carriages and the swords; the stiff upper lips and the bright smiles; the subjects lining the streets with their flags and joy. For centuries, they have led the way. We face the same future with this moment of hope and undeniable optimism. Or, as Kate said when seeing the crowds, “Oh, Wow!”
We thank God for the chance.
Congratulations, Will and Kate. God bless you with health, happiness and the never ending hope of this day.
God Save the Queen.
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